Two of the city's congressional districts are at the top of a list that ranks the nation's food-starved areas.

Data in a recently released survey indicate that 36.9 percent of residents in the 16th Congressional District in the South Bronx [includes the neighborhoods of Mott Haven, Hunts Point, Melrose, High Bridge, Morrisania, East Tremont, Tremont, Morris Heights, University Heights, Belmont, Fordham, Bedford Park, West Farms, the Longwood Avenue Historic District, and parts of Soundview] have a food hardship, as do 30.8 percent of those in Brooklyn's 10th Congressional district [includes the neighborhoods of East New York, Canarsie, Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Cypress Hills, Clinton Hill, Mill Basin, Midwood, downtown Brooklyn, Boreum Hill, and parts of Fort Greene and Williamsburg].

The rate for the 16th CD makes it number one in the nation, while the 10th CD is at number 6. According to data collected by the Gallup Organization, people in seven of the city's 13 congressional districts faced severe food hardships in 2008-2009, with more than 20 percent of residents lacking money for food.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said the report is "a real wake-up call," and its findings are "shocking and unacceptable."

"With so many children, seniors, and low-income families struggling to make ends meet during these tough economic times, something must be done to find immediate and permanent solutions to the sky rocketing hunger rates in the city," Schumer said.

Rep. José Serrano (D-NY), who represents the 16th CD, said, "The data shows that our worse fears about this recession in the Bronx have come true – people are going hungry." He added that he will ask Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack for "immediate assistance in meeting the food needs of the people in the Bronx."

Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), who represents the 10th CD, said the data shows "hunger in New York City is not a distant, isolated problem. That's why I'm committed to new and existing initiatives that provide sustenance to those who need it." The Gallup Organization collected the data on behalf on the Washington, DC-based Food Research and Action Center.